When my cell phone alarm went off this weekend, I realized how much I depend on information, both for entertainment and to enrich my daily life. I call it my “TMZ Alarm,” and the tone happens at the same time every day, reminding me to turn on the television set to watch the latest installment of TMZ, the popular entertainment news program.

In order to manage my blog, I try to keep up with everything that’s going on in Hollywood, as well as all the major business stories that interest me. In the end, I can’t help but wonder how someone can possibly digest all the gossip and information that’s out there. But somehow I find myself always looking for more.

What fascinates me the most is how rapidly the Internet and mobile electronic devices are changing our society. Not only are our thoughts and conversations evolving into abbreviated snippets of communication, as so amusingly portrayed in AT&T’s commercials, but web sites are changing our vocabulary, attention spans, and social behavior in a way we never imagined.

Web sites like TMZ and Access Hollywood provide us with more behind-the-scenes access to the real lives of Hollywood celebrities than ever before. The Onion, recently mentioned on CBS’s Sunday Morning has become a comedic lens on what is happening in the world. YouTube, MySpace and Facebook are revolutionizing how we keep in contact with “friends” and family. Musician KinaGrannis, even made a video for her YouTube site in which she sings about Digg, the web site devoted to ranking news stories according to what is popular.

When you think of the power of the Internet, it is amazing how one simple web site can have such a dramatic effect on people’s lives.

Blogs like the Drudge Report (which exposed Prince Harry’s tour of duty in Afghanistan) or entertainment blogger Perez Hilton (who comments on Hollywood news) have become more celebrated than many traditional journalists. They are changing the world with their online voice.

With millions of videos and blogs being uploaded around the world, there are now so many more opportunities for people to be heard. There is extraordinary power in having a voice that can reach millions of people at a time, but with that power comes a responsibility to exercise it with care.

It is our job to manage the information and find ways to use it to improve our daily lives and to ensure that in spite of our busy days and hectic schedules we still take time out for what is important, meaningful human interaction.

The question is with all these new voices, how can you tell who’s worth listening to? While we all figure it out, I’d like to thank Blogger.com, for at least giving me a voice to be heard with all the rest. So before it’s too late and we lose sight of what’s important in the world, take a little time to reflect on why we communicate. Now go hug someone.